balloons

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Masayoshi Matsumoto (previously) continues to astound us with his balloon twisting skills. The Japanese artist uses a variety of opaque, metallic, and translucent balloons to form tree-swinging monkeys, beetles, and fish out of water. When asked how he plans each of his latex creations Matsumoto explained to Colossal that each work is decided intuitively, and is dictated by whatever he feels like making in the moment. Most often the works take 3-6 hours each, depending on how many folds and colors the animal or insect might require. You can see more of his balloon sculptures on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram.

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In Animal Soul, a fleeting exhibition at Brookfield Place in New York City, artist Jason Hackenwerth (previously) brought to life a menagerie of inflatable creatures. Born from his wild imagination, the interactive inflatable artworks included wearable “Megamite” costumes sported by professional dancers, and towering fabric creatures that soared above the crowds. You can see more from Hackenwerth on Instagram.

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The Exploratorium summer show, curated by Colossal, has filled the museum and exploration space to the roof—literally!—with eye-catching, mind-boggling, and joy-inducing interactive inflatable art. Take a peek at the exhibit, which includes artwork by Shih Chieh Huang, Jason Hackenwerth, Amanda Parer, Jimmy Kuehnle, and Pneuhaus. ‘Inflatable’ is on view through September 3, 2018 in San Francisco. Find out more on the Exploratorium website.

Cauldron Veil by Jason Hackenwerth (2018)

Cauldron Veil by Jason Hackenwerth (2018)

Fantastic Planet by Amanda Parer (2016)

Fantastic Planet by Amanda Parer (2016)

Bau(ncy) Haus by Jimmy Kuehnle (2018)

Bau(ncy) Haus by Jimmy Kuehnle (2018)

Compound Camera by Pneuhaus (2017)

Compound Camera by Pneuhaus (2017)

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Colossal is thrilled to announce the summer show, Inflatable: Expanding Works of Art at San Francisco’s Exploratorium, a museum dedicated to science, art and human perception. Led by our founder and editor-in-chief Christopher Jobson, Colossal has worked closely with the Exploratorium team to curate the museum’s summer 2018 exhibition. Inflatable brings together artists from around the world who work in the mediums of textiles, technology, and air.

Jason Hackenwerth (previously), renowned for his massive balloon sculptures that often simulate the universal biology of living things, will be building an inflated sculpture comprised of thousands of hand-tied balloons. Cauldron Veil will be built in front of the public at the Exploratorium in the days before the exhibition opening, and hoisted up to the ceiling where it will be suspended over visitors.

Tasmania-based artist Amanda Parer (previously) examines the relationships between humans and our natural surroundings in her large-scale white inflatable sculptures. Parer’s series, Fantastic Planet, includes two enormous humanoid figures that will be hard to miss as they tower over gallery walls.

Jimmy Kuehlne taps into interactivity, wonder, and humor in his diverse range of artworks. For Inflatable, he’ll be building a forest of glowing air-filled columns that invite museum-goers to explore his art from within. The Cleveland-based artist describes the spirit of his creations: “If I can make something that you can’t quite put in a category, then maybe there’s going to be a short circuit and you’ll have a genuine interaction.”

Inflatable visitors will also have the chance to step inside a fly’s eye as built by Rhode Island-based design collective Pneuhaus. Compound Camera is a uniquely functional geodesic dome that turns the world upside down and inside out using 109 inflated spherical camera obscuras.

Technology, electronics, and everyday materials collide in Taiwanese artist Shih Chieh Huang‘s responsive sculptures. Huang, who is based in New York, will be installing Guardian of the Disphotic, a fleet of interconnected sculptures that move and breathe in response to their environment.

Pisces by Jason Hackenwerth. Photo by the artist

Please, No Smash by Jimmy Kuehnle. Photo by Robert Muller

Compound Camera by Pneuhaus. Photo by Cassidy Batiz

Reusable Universes by Shih Chieh Huang. Photo by Steve Briggs

The Exploratorium is a unique public learning laboratory with a mission to create inquiry-based experiences that transform learning worldwide. Centrally located on San Francisco’s waterfront Embarcadero, the Exploratorium is filled with hundreds of explore-for-yourself exhibits. These interactive stations will be on view alongside Inflatable. We’re also developing public programming and family-friendly evening events specifically for the summer show—stay tuned! Inflatable opens on May 26 and is open through September 3, 2018. Find out more and plan your visit on the Exploratorium website.

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Jihan Zencirli is not your average balloon artist. Based in Los Angeles and working under the moniker Geronimo, Zencirli builds sprawling conglomerations of perfectly spherical balloons in carefully selected color palettes. With vibrant colors and organically-inspired shapes, the balloons draw a contrast to the geometric and neutral toned buildings they are affixed to. The artist frequently installs her work outside, to emphasize its ephemeral nature and to allow as many people to encounter the work as possible.

Zencirli’s latest creation has been produced in collaboration with the New York City Ballet, as part of their Art Series. The annual series invites a contemporary artist to install a site-specific artwork in the heart of Manhattan at Lincoln Center, where the ballet has been based since 1964. This is the series’ sixth year and Zencirli is the first female artist to be selected. In anticipation of the event, an appropriately-over-the-top video introduces audiences to Geronimo, directed by Andy Bruntel.

The artwork was unveiled on January 26, and remains up until February 24th, during which time the Ballet has two special performances. There are also public viewing hours every day of the week from February 17 – 25. More information about performance times and viewing hours are available on NYCB’s website. Zencirli shares updates of her work on Instagram, and you can also find examples of some previous installations below.

Photo by Erin Baiano for NYCB

Photo by Erin Baiano for NYCB

Photo by Erin Baiano for NYCB

Photo by Erin Baiano for NYCB

Photo by Erin Baiano for NYCB

Photo by Erin Baiano for NYCB

Photo by Erin Baiano for NYCB

Photo by Timothy Simons of Echo Market, Los Angeles

Squarespace Headquarters for Pride Parade, NYC

Noisebridge Hackerspace, San Francisco

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Masayoshi Matsumoto (previously here and here) doesn’t twist up your average balloon animal creations. Instead, the Japanese artist produces larger than life beetle larva and spider crabs, creating latex masterpieces that blow away the simplistic balloon animals we’ve come to expect. Multi-colored and not bound to any particular species, the works are incredibly realistic interpretations of the animals they imitate, making the requests at your child’s next birthday particularly bizarre. You can see more of his insects and animals on his Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram.

Capybara

House fly

Beetle larva

Siamang

Jumping spider

Nautilus

Spider

Snail

Termite

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Paper engineer Aliaksei Zholner has wowed us before with his miniature V8 engine, and now brings his crafty talents to the musical realm with this working paper organ. The tiny organ has 18 functional keys that create tones with the aid of corresponding reeds, and of course a pipe organ can’t function without a steady air flow, a problem Zholner solves with a large balloon. (via Sploid)